


In This Inferno

by ArgylePirateWD



Category: Original Work
Genre: Elemental Magic, F/F, Fire, Fire Magic, Firefighters, Flirting, Pyromania
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-01
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-18 07:56:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7306378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArgylePirateWD/pseuds/ArgylePirateWD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She'd thought her days of playing with fire were over. Then, she interviews a fire witch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In This Inferno

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sumi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sumi/gifts).



No one knew fire like Fiammetta.

Jaime watched the flames on Fiammetta's palm, watched them flicker and sway beneath Fiammetta's steady gaze. Thin tendrils of smoke wafted across the table, the scent harsh and comforting. Jaime breathed it in, savoring its acrid heat and the pounding it set alight in her blood. Fire curled around Fiammetta's long fingers, transparent blue and yellow-white dancing over Fiammetta's brown skin, and something burned tight in Jaime's stomach.

"I respect fire," Fiammetta said, rolling the flames between her hands.

Jaime stared, entranced by the silken glide of fire beneath Fiammetta's unflinching eyes. She wanted to touch the fire, wanted to feel its heat, its burn. Her insides begged for it, her heart ached to break free from her chest and wrap itself around those gorgeous flames.

Almost on its own, one of Jaime's hands slipped into her pocket and clutched the lighter hidden within.

"I get fire, in a way other people don't. So I put that to use."

Fiammetta clasped her hands together, and smoke puffed out from between them, then stopped. When she reached for her cup, the fire was gone, a few streaks of soot the only sign it had existed.

"And that's why I became a firefighter."

Resisting the urge to sag in disappointment, Jaime squared her shoulders, and tried to regain some semblance of professionalism. Taking a deep breath, she shook away her daze, and picked up her pen again. Hopefully her phone recorded all of Fiammetta's words. If it hadn't, well...having to talk to a fire witch again would hardly be a chore.

"You're the first fire witch in the FDNY, aren't you?" Jaime asked.

Fiammetta hummed in assent, and took a sip of her steaming chai latte, which should've gone cold long ago. "I am, yeah. They didn't really want to hire me, 'cuz some of us fire witches like fire a little _too_ much, you know? They'd rather have the water guys. But I _know_ fire. Like, it's in my blood—not _literally_ ; my blood's blood, same as everyone else—but fire magic's part of me. It's my Element."

Fiammetta grinned, and the heat in Jaime's belly grew hotter—Gods, Fiammetta was so pretty. Her radiant blue and orange curls, her smooth skin, her bright smile, her voice as she added, "I was born to play with fire."

A shiver sparked through Jaime's nerves.

Then, expression turning sly, Fiammetta said, "I think you know what that's like, don't you, Ms. Sanderson?"

Jaime's stomach sank. "I'm not..." She swallowed. "I'm not a witch."

Not for a lack of trying. When she was a kid, she'd begged every god and goddess in the universe to let her Manifest the next morning. _Please, let it be fire,_ she'd whispered. _Make me a fire witch. Please, please, please_.

"But you _are_ an aficionado," Fiammetta said, brown eyes glowing orange like an ember, just for a moment. "I recognize your name. Some of the old guys still talk about you. Said you played with matches like some kids play with dolls. I'm guessing you still do."

"No one's supposed to—" Jaime stabbed at her touchscreen, shutting off the recording, then drew herself up and straightened the collar of her blouse. "No one's supposed to talk about that." If anyone knew what she still did behind closed doors...

"Hey, I'm not judging!" Fiammetta held up her hands. "I damn near burned down a few buildings when I was a kid, too. Nothing cooler than a good fire."

No, there wasn't. Nothing called to Jaime like the flame. Nothing excited her like fire. The heat, the blinding glow, the raw power of the flames. Her pulse leapt at the thought. The pain of a burn on tender skin, its harsh sting lingering for weeks. The clean, black slate left behind by a good conflagration.

Nothing was as beautiful as fire.

Her throat clenched. "I just want..."

"I know," Fiammetta said, gently, and she took Jaime's hand and traced circles on her palm. Fiammetta's skin was so warm, just like her fire. "I know. If anyone gets this fire stuff, it's me."

Fiammetta was fire. Fiammetta was beautiful.

"Hey, Jaime?" Fiammetta said, giving her a wicked grin. "Why don't we skip the rest of this interview crap and go burn something, hm?"

A smile spread like fire across Jaime's face. "I'd like that."


End file.
